Tag: Butch Thompson

Look: Auburn baseball does reverse Tiger Walk for super regional trip

Auburn is off for their super regional against Oregon State.

Auburn baseball is hitting the road.

The No. 14 Tigers, fresh off a dominant regional championship, are heading to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers in a super regional. The best-of-three game series is set to start Saturday night at 9 p.m. CT.

Auburn’s offense was unstoppable in their regional, scoring 51 runs in their three wins over Southeastern Louisiana, Florida State, and UCLA. The Tigers outscored their opponents 51-18 and never trailed.

They will have a much tougher test this weekend against the No. 3 ranked Beavers who are 47-16 on the season and lost just two series at home all season.

Take a look as [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] and the rest of the Tigers depart Plainsman Park with a reverse Tiger Walk that featured a strong fan turnout.

Butch Thompson changes mindset ahead of Super Regionals

As Auburn prepares to play in their third Super Regional in five years, head coach Butch Thompson does not want his team to be satisfied with just reaching Omaha.

Auburn Baseball under head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] is seeing its’ best stretch since the days of former coach Hal Baird, and it does not appear to be slowing down.

The Tigers swept their competition during last weekend’s Auburn Regional, where they outscored their opponents 51-17 in three games. Next up for Auburn is a trip to the west coast to take on Pac-12 power Oregon State in the Super Regional for a chance to compete in the College World Series for the second time since 2019.

Most programs’ goal at the beginning of the season is to make it to Omaha. But, for Thompson, he wants his team to get in the mindset that they can achieve more than just making it to the College World Series.

“It’s “national championship or bust”, says Thompson. “If you just play the “Omaha” game to get to Omaha, it can be like 2019 or other times that I’ve been where it’s “two and a barbecue.”

Prior to arriving in Auburn to take over the program in 2016, Thompson went to the College World Series once with Mississippi State as an assistant coach, when the Bulldogs finished as national runner-up in 2013. He says that if he wants his team to have a “championship” mindset, it has to start with him.

 “People don’t fail because they aim high and miss, it’s because they aim low and hit.” says Thompson, quoting motivational speaker Les Brown. “For me to not aim high for our program, and start having our guys to envision a national championship, (then) I’m selling our (fans) short, and the potential of our program short.”

Auburn’s quest for the program’s first national championship continues Saturday-Monday in Corvallis, Ore. against the Oregon State Beavers. First pitch of Saturday’s game one is set for 9 p.m. CDT, and can be seen on ESPN2.

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Auburn baseball lands a promising grad-transfer pitcher from MAC

Auburn baseball lands promising transfer Jonathan Beard from the University of Miami-Ohio.

On Saturday, the Auburn baseball team received a bit of good news in regards to next year’s team. University of Miami-Ohio transfer and pitcher Jonathan Brand announced that he was transferring to Auburn via his Twitter account.

Brand is a native of Columbus, Georgia which is about 45 minutes east of Auburn. In high school, Brand was very successful. The product of Columbus High School was named the Region Player of the Year during his senior season. Along with that prestigious honor, he was also named to the All-Region team three different times.

After his high school days came to an end, he chose to further his college baseball career at East Georgia State. It didn’t take Brand long though to realize that he had potential beyond the junior college level. In his lone season with the Bobcats, he had nine starts on the mound with a 3.99 ERA (earned run average). He also struck out 67 batters in 47.1 innings pitched.

In his three seasons with the RedHawks, he had an impressive 12-6 record. In 154.4 innings pitched, Brand maintained a 2.54 ERA. He also had 181 strikeouts over the course of those three seasons. He will be a very valuable piece to the pitching rotation for the Tigers next season. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] and his coaching staff are building something special on the Plains. Recruits and transfers are buying into the program and it is starting to show. Brand will be a pitcher to keep an eye on next season when the Tigers return to Plainsman Park. Now, they have to take care of business in their region.

Auburn’s bats come out red hot in regional opener against Southeastern Louisiana

Auburn’s bats made a statement in a game one win against Southeastern Louisiana.

On Friday, the No. 14 national seed Auburn Tigers began their regional with a game against Southeastern Louisiana (30-29). Prior to their game getting underway, the Florida State Seminoles defeated the UCLA Bruins in game one of the regional at Plainsman Park. Therefore, the Seminoles advanced to the winner’s side of the bracket while the Bruins will face an elimination game on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Tigers had their own business to take care of on the diamond. Head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] sent out junior right-handed pitcher Trace Bright while the Lions sent out right-handed pitcher Adam Guth.

Auburn came out with a tremendous start as they pushed across eleven runs in just the first inning. There were a handful of home runs that were hit in the inning. Second baseman Cole Foster got the party started with a home run to left to put the Tigers up 2-0. Two batters later, right-fielder Bobby Peirce delivered with a two-run home run to center field.

The Tigers saw Foster hit yet another home run in the first as he pulled through with a three-run shot to right field. Prior to his home run, the rest of the lineup pushed across three runs via a pair of walks and a sacrifice fly. Then, the fan-favorite Sonny DiChiara hit a solo homer to right-center field. Tigers held an 11-0 lead heading into the second inning.

The Lions came back in the second inning to score one run via the long ball. Center-fielder Tyler Finke put the Lions on the board. After one and a half innings, the Tigers led 11-1.

Catcher Nate LaRue kept the bats rolling with a solo home run to center field. The next batter was left-fielder Mike Bello who hit a single that was followed by an RBI single off the bat of third baseman Blake Rambusch. The good guys led 13-1 after two innings of play.

The Lions pushed across two runs in the top half of the third inning. A two-run single by third baseman Shea Thomas brought across Bryce Grizzaffi and Evan Keller. The Tigers led 13-3 after three innings of play.

In the fourth, the Lions scored a run. However, the Tigers countered that with a three-run homer off the bat of Foster. After being out for several weeks, he proved to be a very valuable piece in the lineup on Friday evening. The Tigers increased their lead to 16-4.

LaRue would homer again in the sixth. Things went quiet after that, as neither team scored again until the eighth. Two doubles for the Lions scored them three runs cutting the Tigers’ lead to 17-7. Auburn plated two more runs in the eighth and ultimately held the Lions in check in the ninth to win by a final score of 19-7.

Auburn will return to action to face Florida State at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday night. As for the Lions, they will face UCLA in an elimination game at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers fair at home against one of the better teams from the ACC.

 

Auburn to host baseball NCAA Tournament regional

The Tigers will kick off postseason play on their own diamond.

The Auburn Tigers baseball team will be playing in the postseason on their own diamond.

The Tigers were selected to host a regional for baseball’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday. This will be the first time since 2010 that Auburn will host a regional and it will be the fifth the Tigers have hosted one in its history.

Auburn will be pleased to be able to start the postseason in a familiar ballpark. The Tigers were recently bounced from the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, after losing to the Kentucky Wildcats 3-1. Auburn is one of four SEC teams to host a regional — Tennessee, Florida and Texas A&M will also host their own regionals for the tournament.

The Tigers didn’t play Florida this year, but they did play a series against both Texas A&M and Tennessee. Auburn was successful in winning its series against the Aggies two games to one, but the Tigers only managed to take a game against the Volunteers before being bested in the other two. [autotag]Butch Thompson’s[/autotag] squad is likely happy it gets to avoid the Vols for a bit longer, as they are currently the No. 1 team in the nation.

Auburn will have to wait until Monday at 11 a.m. CT to discover who they will play in the Auburn Regional.

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Auburn baseball lands commitment of 2023 pitcher Bjorn Johnson

Auburn baseball landed 2023 left-handed pitcher Bjorn Johnson on Sunday.

On Sunday, 2023 left-handed pitcher Bjorn Johnson announced that he was committed to Auburn via his Twitter account. Johnson is from Seattle, Washington.

Perfect Game USA lists Johnson at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Previously, he was committed to Washington. However, it appears that Johnson will now be headed to the Plains to play for head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag]. PBR Uncommitted posted his top speed on each pitch on May 10th. His fastball tops out at 87-89. They also mentioned that his breaking ball is thrown anywhere from the low-mid 70s.

The Tigers will likely lose several pitchers after the season is over. Relief pitcher and Notre Dame transfer Tommy Sheehan is in his fifth year, so he will have to enter the MLB draft. Carson Skipper and Jordan Armstrong are both seniors. They could elect to use the COVID year or enter the draft. Other pitchers like Trace Bright, Blake Burkhalter, Chase Isbell, Hayden Mullins, and Mason Barnett will all have the opportunity to either return or enter the MLB draft as they are juniors.

Johnson will likely have the opportunity to earn some time on the mound early on in his career at Auburn. Left-handed pitchers that throw high 80s are at a premium nowadays and the Tigers could use Johnson in a variety of different roles. With Joseph Gonzalez, Carson Swilling, and John Armstrong returning, Coach Thompson will have some flexibility. Regardless, the Tigers coaching staff has high hopes for the Washington native.

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Auburn takes game one of the series against the Crimson Tide

Tigers pitching seals the deal in game one against the Crimson Tide as they win 3-2.

On Friday, the No. 20 Auburn Tigers hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide in game one of their three-game series. This was the first meeting between the rivals this season. Last season, the Tigers lost two out of three games to Brad Bohannon’s squad. The team would look to change the narrative for this series beginning on Friday night.

The Tigers sent out starting pitcher Mason Barnett (2-1) while the Crimson Tide started Garrett McMillan (4-3). The two pitchers did a great job of holding the opposing team in check. The game was scoreless through four and a half innings. It wasn’t until the bottom half of the fifth inning that either team pushed across a run.

It just so happens that Butch Thompson’s squad was the first team to scratch across a run. The bottom half of the inning began with a single by shortstop Brody Moore. Designated hitter Mason Land would lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance Moore to second base. Then, second baseman Cole Foster hit a single into center field to score Moore.

One batter later and it was third baseman Blake Rambusch that delivered with a(n) RBI double. The Tigers scored but it resulted in a close call at home plate. Alabama’s catcher Dominic Tamez wasn’t able to keep the ball in his mitt which resulted in the Tigers’ second run. Auburn took the 2-0 lead heading into the top of the sixth inning.

However, the sixth inning started off with a bang for the Crimson Tide. Right-fielder Andrew Pinckney hit a rope to center field to start off the inning. The next batter was first baseman Drew Williamson who delivered in the clutch with a two-run home run. After six and a half innings, the score was tied at 2-2.

The Tigers were then able to capitalize in the bottom half of the sixth inning as designated hitter Brooks Carlson hit a double down the right field line to bring across right-fielder Bobby Pierce. A resilient effort from relief pitchers John Armstrong and Blake Burkhalter helped the Tigers maintain the lead the rest of the way. The Tigers took game one with a 3-2 victory over the Crimson Tide.

Alabama falls to 27-23 and 10-15 in conference play whereas the Tigers improve to 34-16 and 14-11 in conference play. In game two, the Tigers will send Trace Bright (2-4) to the mound. As for the Crimson Tide, their day two pitcher Jacob McNairy (5-2) will take the mound. Game two is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network +.

Tigers stout pitching leads to win in game one against No. 12 Vanderbilt

The Tigers extend their win streak to three games with a victory over No. 12 Vanderbilt.

Auburn faced a Vanderbilt squad that came into Plainsman Park ranked No. 12 in the country on Friday, and the Tigers certainly made it look easy.

From the get-go, it was Butch Thompson’s club that made a statement. In the second inning, the Tigers’ scoring began. Second baseman Cole Foster hit a home run to give Auburn an early 1-0 lead. In the fourth, it was the Auburn designated hitter Brooks Carlson who increased the lead in the fourth with a three-run home run. The lead was increased to 4-0. Not to mention, it just seemed like Auburn starting pitcher Hayden Mullins was unhittable tonight. He gave up just one hit in 4.1 innings pitched.

Both teams were unable to plate a run until the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, leadoff-batter Enrique Bradfield hit a sac fly that scored the eight-hole hitter Rob Gordon. It just so happens that it was the Commodores’ lone run of the game. That is a testament to pitching coach Tim Hudson and the entire pitching staff. It was a combined effort that featured pitchers Hayden Mullins, Carson Skipper, and Blake Burkhalter. All three pitched phenomenally in game one of the three-game series.

In the eighth, it was right-fielder Bobby Peirce who tripled to right-center field that brought in Brody Moore. In the ninth, Burkhalter held the ‘Dores in check while getting a ground out and striking out the two other batters. The win was given to reliever Carson Skipper who improved to a solid 3-0 on the year, while Vanderbilt starting pitcher Chris McElvain dropped to 4-2 on the year.

Overall, Auburn grabbed the 5-1 win to increase to 21-9 and 6-4 in conference play. Being over .500 is a testament to what head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] has established on the Plains. The Tigers won two out of three on the road against LSU and Texas A&M. They also beat the No. 1 Ole Miss Rebels as well. As for Vanderbilt, they fall to 21-8 and 4-6 in the conference. Game two will be played tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT and will be aired on SEC Network+. The Tigers will look to improve their win streak to four games.

 

 

 

 

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Auburn looks to continue momentum against Bama

Auburn is looking to continue momentum after a win at Georgia Tech as the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama.

Auburn has not had the start to SEC play it was hoping for but after a 7-3 win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday the Tigers are hoping to turn things around against rival Alabama.

Auburn (13-16, 1-11) heads into the series losers of five straight SEC games while Alabama (20-12, 5-7) is riding a four-game win streak that consists of a sweep at Texas A&M and a 19-3 win over Samford. The series represents a golden chance for the Tigers to pick up their first SEC series win.

“There’s no lack of motivation,” Head Coach Butch Thompson said of facing Alabama. “This just takes it to a higher level of needing it now because it’s your rival and because of the last month it’s a requirement, basically. How can we handle that? I can’t lessen that but, I can keep the guys focused on (the fact) that we’re here to continue to grow and get better as a ball club. We all know there’s sincere urgency right now. We created that and we can also do something about it because of the opportunities that are presented to us each and every day.”

Senior leader Steven Williams thinks with the team getting healthier and players sliding into roles they are comfortable with it is time for the Tigers to start winning games.

“We battled injuries early and I think we are finally starting to take full shape as a team and in that bullpen,” Williams said. “We have experienced it all and I don’t think anything is going to scare us away. We know what we have got to do and know we have to be better.”

Thompson announced that the Tigers would use the same starting rotation they did last weekend with senior right-handed pitcher Cody Greenhill (3-0, 1.83 ERA) pitching on Thursday, senior left-hander Jack Owen (0-2, 9.53) on Friday and freshman right-hander Joseph Gonzalez (0-3, 8.57) on Saturday. The trio will have to contend with a Crimson Tide offense that is hitting .273 and has 42 home runs.

Williams did not shy away from the importance of the game, acknowledging the rough start but is confident they can close the season strong to end the season where they wanted to.

“Yeah, it’s extremely crucial,” Williams said. “Everybody knows that we haven’t had the start to conference play that we wanted, but, I mean, I don’t think we’re out of it yet. I’m really confident in what we have. We have to go out and win a bunch of ball games, but we’re confident we’re going to be able to do that.”

The series will start on Thursday at 6 p.m CT. with game two scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and the series finale slated for Saturday at 4 p.m.

Auburn looks to continue momentum against Bama

Auburn is looking to continue momentum after a win at Georgia Tech as the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama.

Auburn has not had the start to SEC play it was hoping for but after a 7-3 win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday the Tigers are hoping to turn things around against rival Alabama.

Auburn (13-16, 1-11) heads into the series losers of five straight SEC games while Alabama (20-12, 5-7) is riding a four-game win streak that consists of a sweep at Texas A&M and a 19-3 win over Samford. The series represents a golden chance for the Tigers to pick up their first SEC series win.

“There’s no lack of motivation,” Head Coach Butch Thompson said of facing Alabama. “This just takes it to a higher level of needing it now because it’s your rival and because of the last month it’s a requirement, basically. How can we handle that? I can’t lessen that but, I can keep the guys focused on (the fact) that we’re here to continue to grow and get better as a ball club. We all know there’s sincere urgency right now. We created that and we can also do something about it because of the opportunities that are presented to us each and every day.”

Senior leader Steven Williams thinks with the team getting healthier and players sliding into roles they are comfortable with it is time for the Tigers to start winning games.

“We battled injuries early and I think we are finally starting to take full shape as a team and in that bullpen,” Williams said. “We have experienced it all and I don’t think anything is going to scare us away. We know what we have got to do and know we have to be better.”

Thompson announced that the Tigers would use the same starting rotation they did last weekend with senior right-handed pitcher Cody Greenhill (3-0, 1.83 ERA) pitching on Thursday, senior left-hander Jack Owen (0-2, 9.53) on Friday and freshman right-hander Joseph Gonzalez (0-3, 8.57) on Saturday. The trio will have to contend with a Crimson Tide offense that is hitting .273 and has 42 home runs.

Williams did not shy away from the importance of the game, acknowledging the rough start but is confident they can close the season strong to end the season where they wanted to.

“Yeah, it’s extremely crucial,” Williams said. “Everybody knows that we haven’t had the start to conference play that we wanted, but, I mean, I don’t think we’re out of it yet. I’m really confident in what we have. We have to go out and win a bunch of ball games, but we’re confident we’re going to be able to do that.”

The series will start on Thursday at 6 p.m CT. with game two scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and the series finale slated for Saturday at 4 p.m.